You can be one of the few to step down into the galley of a gunboat for a Southern breakfast.

Civil War enthusiasts, history buffs and anyone else can be served breakfast on the CSS Neuse II, the replica of the original Civil War gunboat — the remains of which are located in the CSS Neuse Museum downtown.

The event, “Breakfast on the Gunboat,” will take place on the replica from 7-11 a.m. Saturday amidst New Bern’s Confederate artillery re-enactors, Reilly’s Battery, and their campsite and period weapons.

“It is the only place on this earth,” Mooring said, “that you can have breakfast on a Civil War ironclad.”

Diners may dress in period wear, if desired, and Civil War era music will be provided by The Carteret Grays.

The breakfast, the fourth event of its kind, is sponsored by the CSS Neuse Foundation, which is charged with the maintenance and upkeep of the replica boat, said John Nix, the foundation president.

“We are the only full-scale, ironclad gunboat of that era in the world,” Nix said.

The foundation members have worked to portray the replica as closely as possible to the original, he said. Diners will step onto the deck at the bow of the boat and see the cannon and enter into the hull where they will dine in its galley.

“This is not a North–South thing, a Confederate-Yankee thing,” Nix said. “This is about history.”

People from all over the country, and even the world, visit Kinston to see the boat, he said.

For information about the replica Neuse II and its foundation or to donate, call Nix at 252-560-2150.

Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.

Breakout box:

What: Breakfast on the Gunboat

When: 7-11 a.m., Saturday

Where: Aboard the CSS Neuse II

Cost: $7 per plate

For information about the replica CSS Neuse II and its foundation or to donate, call John Nix at 252-560-2150